Egg-turning means for incubators



May 29, 1923. 11,456,5@

a. CL KI TCHEN ET AL EGG TURNING MEANS FOR INCUBATORS Filed Nov. 6, 1922 Patented fvllay 2t),

unites GROVER C. KITCHEN AND OLA EGG-TURNING- MEANS FOR INGUBATOBS.

Application filed November 6, 1922.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, Gnovnn and CLAIRE KITOHEN,

at Sonoma,

States, residing of Sonoma and C. Krrorimi citizens of the United in the county to of California, have Sta invented certain new and useful improvements in Egg-Turning Means for Incubators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has to do with improvements in incubators and in particular to egg The primary is to provide turning means therefor.

object of these improvements a. simple arrangement for rotating the roller supports of an egg tray whereby the eggs resting upon the same may be turned over ing the incubation from time to time durperiod by the adjustment of manually operative means adapted to act up on these instruinentalities being so all of the egg supports at one time,

disposed as not to interfere with, or rather not to reduce the maximum bator.

capacity of the incu- VVith the above and other objects in view,

the invention consis ts in certain combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing Fi ure l is a fragmentary vertical sec- L) tioiiai view of an incubator showing in elevation the egg turning means constituting the subject matter of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enla insection, of the egg 3 is a. sectional view taken about Figure rged detail view, partly turning means alone.

on the plane indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a slightly modified Corresponding to in the following detail fragmentary view of form of the invention.

and like parts are referred description, and indicated in all of the views of the drawing, by like reference characters.

Referring to the A designates an drawing: incubator casing of conventional form, such as shown in our previous patent for improvements in incubators No.

1,368,562, dated February 15, 1921,

said casing being provided at its sides with tray supports B on egg tray C.

The egg tray is pr which is disposed the ovided with a plurality Serial No. 599,369.

of rotatable egg supports or iialed in the sides of the tray,

supports carrying at one IRE KITCZ-TEN, SONGMA, CALTFOENIA.

rollers 'l joun roller 2, preferably composed of rubber the face of which is suitably gated or ficient frictional engagement explained. rying the rollers 2 are rece knurled, corruotherwise roughened, to insure sufas; hereinafter The end of the supports 1 carived in slots 3 in the side of the tray providing a yieldable mounting for the ends ofth e egg supports.

each of these end, afriction lleciprocally mounted in the casing A. so as to lie directly beneath the rollers 2 of the supports, is

a bar member l which may be of metal tubing or of wood, but

preferably having its gated or grooved as indicated at vide a frictional operating upper surface corru- 5 to proface for coaction with the rollers 2 of the egg supports.

The bar i egg supports 1 so the eggs thereon, gagernent provided supports the manually operative set forth. The rollers of the slots for a vertical yielding movement so that they rest by gravity upon the frictional face of the bar and are thereby driven. This frictional driving of the bar permits a slip or yielding movement in case the eggs are in such position as prevents in ury to offer resistance and thereto which would. be

liablein a positively operated connection between the supporting rolle ating bar.

r and the actu- The bar t extends outwardly of the. inou bator casing A. at one side bracket 6 projects from the thereto, said mounted pivot 8 for which is positioned bracket having thereon an ad1ust1ng thereof and a casing adjacent pivotally lever 7, the in spaced relation'to the lower extremity of'the lever.

The bar 4: is connected flexible connections 9 being attached at one of the bar to the lever 7 at one side of dicated at 12, while the latte and to this lever by the 10, the former end to the outer end 4; as at 11 and at its opposite end its pivot. as inr connection 10 is connected at one end of the bar at a point 13 within the casing and to its lower end, as

shown at 14.

the lever T at These connecting elements are composed preferably of fiat steel straps and they pulleys 15 mounted upon t pass about the he side of the casing A in suitable brackets 16. The connections are maintained taut by means of a coupling consisting of the angle pieces 17 and an adjusting bolt 18 by means of which the slack in the connection may be taken up or the connections with the lever readily removed whenever it is desired to displace the bar 4 from the casing/ It will be observed that in Figures 1 to 3 the lever 7 is vertically positioned and movement forwardly or rearwardly as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1' will cause the bar 4i to be reciprocated inwardly or outwardly for the purpose of imparting rotation to the egg supports 1 with a View to turning over the eggs carried thereby.

In Figure 4 we have slightly modified the arrangement by positioning the lever 7 in a horizontal position which may be desirable in some instances, this necessitating merely a slight rearrangement of the flexible connections with the reciprocating bar as clearly shown in the figure and, therefore, not requiring additional explanation.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that the egg turning means of this invention may be applied to the ordinary incubator without interfering with the arrangement of the egg tray or trays and the other instrumentalities contained therein so that the maximum capacity of the incubator may be maintained without difficulty. The arrangement enables the dismantling or attachment of the device as desirable for shipping or storage purposes and the maintenance of proper adjustment of the connections between the operating lever and the reciprocating bar forming features of the egg turning apparatus.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is:

I 1.. In egg turning means for incubators, the combination with rotatable egg supports on which the eggs rest, of a bar member having frictional engagement with said supports, and manually operative means for reciprocating said bar member including a lever pivotally supported at one side of the incubator and connecting means between the bar and the lever connected with the latter at opposite sides of its pivot, whereby the bar may be shifted in opposite directions by corresponding movements of the lever.

2. In egg turning means for incubators, the combination with an egg tray and rotatable egg 'supportsyieldabl'ymounted in said tray, 'of a bar member reciprocally mounted the combination with an egg tray, supporting means therefor, a plurality of egg supports journaled in the sides of the tray, said supports having yielding connection with the tray at one end, friction rollers carried by the yieldable ends of the egg supports, a reciprocating bar mounted beneath the egg tray and sustaining the yiel'dable end of the egg supports, a lever adjacent to said bar, and flexible connections intermediate the lever and the bar whereby the bar may be shifted to and fro to impart rotation to the egg supports. I

4. In egg turning means for incubators, the combination with rotatable egg supports on which the eggs rest, a reciprocating bar frictionally coacting with said egg supports, a lever pivotally mounted adjacent to one end of said bar, and adjustable flexible connectionsbetween the bar and the lever connecting with the same at opposite sides of the lever pivot. I

5. In egg turning means for incubators, the combination with rotatable egg supports on which the eggs rest, a reciprocating bar frictionally coactin'g with said egg supports, a lever pivotally mounted adjacent to one end of said bar, adjustable flexible connections between the bar and the lever connecting with the same at opposite sides of the lever pivot, said flexible connections including an adjustable coupling member, and pulleys about which the flexible connections pass. 7

6. Inegg turning means for-incubators, the combination with an egg tray, supporting means therefor, a plurality of egg supports j ournaled at the sides of the tray, said supports having yielding connection with the tray at one end, friction rollers carried by the yieldable ends of the egg supports, a reciprocating bar beneath the egg tray and sustaining the yieldable ends of the egg supports, and means for reciprocating said bar to oscillate said egg supports.

In testimony whereof we ail-ix our signatures.

Er- VE K TCH N. CLAIRE KITCHEN. 

